


Just Follow The Instructions

by Baroness_Blixen



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M, Gen, skinner knows best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-20 04:37:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11328744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baroness_Blixen/pseuds/Baroness_Blixen
Summary: Skinner gives Mulder some much needed advice - while putting together a crib.





	Just Follow The Instructions

A knock on the door freed Mulder from the horror also known as a Claire de Lune crib for the modern, stylish baby. He let go of the screwdriver, happily, and shuffled into the living room. Scully had been gone less than an hour, but he half expected her to come back and apologize. Or to hear him apologize. Either way, he was certain it could only be her. When he opened the door, a clever remark and a grin on his face, he did not expect to see that particular person.

“Sir.” Mulder cleared his throat and wiped the smirk off his face. He searched his mind for an excuse why he was in Scully’s apartment while she herself wasn’t home.

“Agent Mulder,” he shook his head, almost smiled, “Just Mulder I guess. Is Agent Scully home?”

“No, Sir, she’s not. I’m just here because, well, she… I-”

“Mulder, it’s fine. It’s never been my business what you do on your own time and you no longer work for the FBI so I care even less.” There was more he wanted to say, Mulder thought, but the moment passed. Not that Mulder was complaining. This was awkward enough.  

“Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“After I put up that crib.” Mulder grumbled.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m putting up the crib,” Mulder explained realizing that this, just like Skinner had said, was none of his business and he probably didn’t even care, “for the baby.” He specified. Skinner nodded earnestly; Mulder knew that nod, had seen it often enough when he was still assigned to the Assistant Director.

“Her brother sent it,” if Scully were home, she’d tell Mulder to shut up, go back into the nursery and pick up the screwdriver again. But Scully wasn’t home and there was no one and nothing to stop him, “probably as a ‘fuck you, Mulder’ knowing I wouldn’t let her put it together. It’s one of these modern things that comes in one hundred pieces that barely fit together.”

“Do you need any help?” Skinner adjusted his glasses, obviously as uneasy as Mulder in that moment. He hadn’t meant to say it - that much was clear. Mulder, for once speechless, nodded automatically. He didn’t mean to nod. And if he did, he didn’t mean for it to be an invitation. Skinner, however, stepped into Scully’s apartment taking off his jacket. Mulder stared into the empty hallway; maybe Scully was pulling a prank on him. Eventually, he closed the door and joined Skinner, who stood there completely misplaced in the middle of Scully’s living room.

“Uhm, follow me.” Mulder made an awkward hand movement and went back to the nursery. They had decided on yellow for the walls and right now, in the middle of the day when the sun was streaming through the windows, Mulder was glad they did. The warm color also distracted from the mess on the ground. Seeing all the loose parts, Mulder wasn’t sure it would ever turn into a crib. It made him want to throw it away, run into the nearest shop and buy a new, better and most importantly, already put together crib.

“This is it?” Mulder just nodded. To his greatest surprise (he would have to tell Scully later; if she believed him, that is), Skinner sat down in the middle of the carpeted floor and started looking through the instructions. If someone had told him years ago that he’d ever see Skinner sitting on a carpet full of cartoon cows and farm animals, he’d called them insane. But here they were.

“It’s not that difficult, Mulder.” Skinner told him, expertly putting together two of the pieces. “You just need to read the instructions.”

“I did.” He answered through clenched teeth. Except the instructions made no sense to him. Whoever wrote them must hate logic.

“So, uhm, where is Agent Scully? I need to talk to her about something.”

“About what?” Skinner looked up at him and it was good to know that he could still intimidate Mulder even while he was putting together a crib.

“I’d rather talk to Agent Scully about that. I’m sure she’ll tell you if she thinks it concerns you.” Mulder flopped down next to Skinner, pushing away the instructions.

“She asked me to do this simple thing and I, well…”

“It hasn’t been either for either of you.”

“No, but… we, it’s not like – it’s-”

“I get it, Mulder.”

“Do you?” He stared at his former boss, who he had to admit, was good at this. Mulder wondered briefly if Skinner had ever had any reason to put together a crib, or any kind of furniture.

“I was there, Mulder. I was the one who… lost you. I had to face Scully and tell her. I had to watch her – I think I get it. It’s complicated.” But it’d always been complicated between them. This new thing, this baby thing that they never really talk about, it was just a new edition of complicated. A much heavier one.

“What if I can't… do it?”

“Well, you obviously can’t,” Skinner told him while fastening another bolt and Mulder thought he heard a hint of amusement in his voice, “but you’ve always been like that. I’m sure Agent Scully could have put this together in no time at all.” Mulder nods; that much was true. She would have done it, too, had he not started screwing things up. Literally. Both he and Skinner knew, though, that Mulder was not talking about the crib.

“I was an asshole.” Mulder admitted.

“That doesn’t surprise me.” It had obviously surprised Scully, though. Mulder thought of the dark look in her eyes earlier right before she had stormed out. Ever since he’d come back from the dead, he didn’t know how to behave around her. Some days he didn’t even know how to be. Where did she want him? Did she want him at all in her life? He knew the answer to that even if he pretended he didn’t. It was in the way she looked at him (except for earlier today, he reminded himself, and that had been his own fault) and in the way she touched him. Always tentatively as if she was no longer sure she was allowed to. That, too, was his fault. He wanted to touch her, all of her, all the time. But he didn’t. The Scully he found when he woke up wasn’t the Scully he’d said goodbye to a lifetime ago. The baby was the elephant in the room. He’d glanced at her belly back when he was still in the hospital, barely awake and barely alive, unable to fathom it. His mind had run amok with the implications. The truth had to be slapped into him; Frohike, after a nice, warm hug, had hit his shoulder (who knew this man had that much body strength?) and reminded him not to screw it up. After all these years, he and everyone else should have known him better.

“She’ll be back soon,” Mulder said as if to himself, “I mean this is her apartment after all.” Skinner nodded over the half finished crib. Mulder stared in wonderment; he’d puzzled over this for an hour and Skinner just magically knew how to put the pieces together.

“You better apologize for whatever you did.”

“Who says I’m the one who should be apologizing?”

“Mulder, she’s pregnant. Whatever happened, it was your fault. She loves you, you know. I know, I know I said I didn’t care and it’s none of my business but… I’ve been there when you- and, just apologize to her.” As if on cue, a key turned in the front door. Mulder jumped up like an excited puppy and sprinted through the apartment to greet Scully. Her eyes widened in surprise and a moment later, a shy smile played around her lips.

“Hi.” She said.

“Hi.”

“Listen, Mulder-”

“I’m sorry, Scully,” he cut her off and took the bag she was holding from her, “I shouldn’t have started this. I shouldn’t have pushed you and I should have-”

“Shut up.”

“That, too, yeah.”

“No, I mean,” Scully leaned against him, her big belly preventing more contact between them, “You were right. Just after everything… I didn’t know how to react, Mulder. One moment you’re distant,” she paused; Mulder wondered if by distant she meant dead, but he kept that thought to himself, “and then you ask me to move in with you. Into a house, Mulder. Like normal people.”

“We are normal people, Scully. Well, I am. I’m an unemployed shmuck asking his alien baby baby mama to move in with him without ample means to support either. You were right to flee the scene.”

“What did you just say?”

“I said you were right and-

"No. Alien baby baby mama?” To his greatest delight, she giggled and ran her hand up and down his chest. Mulder figured he was forgiven and grinned at her in return.

“Well, yeah. That’s who you are, isn’t it?”

“I guess,” she sighed, “Can we talk about this later? This whole moving in together thing? We really need to talk about things, Mulder. Right now we really need to put up the crib, though and I’m exhausted.”

“Scully, there is something I need to tell you.” He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him so he could see her face where her smile made room for a worried expression.

“What, Mulder? Don’t tell me you tried to do it yourself and it’s now broken?”

“Not exactly, no. Uhm, Skinner showed up because he needs to discuss something with you and…”

“And?”

“And he’s currently sitting in the nursery putting up our crib.”

“You’re kidding.” Mulder grinned at her. He knew she wouldn’t believe it unless she saw it with her own eyes. He put his hand on her back, leading her.

“Just wait til you see it.”


End file.
